Amusement ride



Nov. 26, 1929. w. sELLNER AMUSEMENT RIDE Filed sept. 26, 1928 s sheets-sheet INVENTO/.

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Nov. 26, 1929. H, w. sELLNER 1,737,032

AMUSEMENT RIDE Filed Sept. 26, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2l NOV. 26, 1929. H, w, SELLNER 1,737,032

AMUSEMENT RIDE Filed Sept. 26, 1928 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES rieten HERBERT W. SELLNER, F FARIBAULT, MINNESOTA AMUSEMENT RIDE Application led. September 26, 1928. Serial No. 308,466.

This invention relates to amusement apparatus and especially to an amusement ride of the round-about type operating in a vertical plane.

It is an object of my present invention to provide an enjoyable and pleasureable amusement ride which will give the passengers unexpected thrills and wherein the speed of a series of passenger cars in traveling through a course will be accelerated unexpectedly.

A further object of the invention is to provide an amusement ride wherein a plurality of passenger cars are moved through an endless course in a substantially vertical plane,

l5 said cars being elevated to a considerable height and then dropped to a lower level.

Another object is to provide an amusement ride of the Ferris wheel type wherein a plurality of passenger cars may be conveniently loaded at one time from the ground.

Another object is to provide a ride of the class described including an endless course disposed in a vertical plane and provided with substantially straight sections and curved sections and means for causing a series of pivotally supported passenger cars to pass about said endless course in such manner that the speed of said cars will be greatly accelerated as they pass around the curved portions of the track.

Another object is to provide means, in connection with said ride, for holding the passenger cars stationary when it is desired to load the same.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following description made in connection witht the accompanying drawings wherein line characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the ride taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragment-ary side elevation on a larger scale of a pair of the Wheels and arms taken from inside the ride and showing the couplings and a connections of the wheels and projecting arms of the carrier element.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2 illustrating my -improved'V mechanism for preventing the cars from swinging during the operation of loading. v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail elevation showing the manner in which the endless drivy,55 ing cable is guided to the power pulley and the automatic belt tightener for the same. Y

Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing a slightly modified form of the course or track for the ride. 1 ,eo

As illustrated in the drawings, I provide ai" suitable vertical frame preferably supported upon an elongated base B and comprising two series of elongated 11p-right postseach series as shown, including three posts 7 vsuitably, 65 braced by the diagonal stays 8 and said two series being parallel and` spaced apart a suficient distance to nicely accommodate the passenger cars. To the inside and upper portions of each series of posts an endlessJO track T is secured, said tracks as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 inclusive having straight and horizontal upper and lower sides andhaving arcuate ends. The right and left hand tracks are oppositely and concentrically disposedv and each track preferably comprises innen" and outer rails 9, preferably of angle bar construction.

A carrier or conveying element runs in said tracks and comprises an endless train ofo trucks suitably coupled together, each truck 'i comprising a pair of spaced shafts 10, said shafts carrying flanged wheels 11 at theirV eX- tremities and being spaced apart equi-distant bymeans of suitable links 12, said links being, v$5 applied at both right and left hand ends ofw the shafts. Blocks 0r brackets 13 are carried at the ends vof shafts 10, said blocks consti-l tuting bearings for said shafts `and having a pair of oppositely disposed ears 13a to which 90 the links 12 are pivotally secured. Blocks 18 at their outer edges, which are substantially parallel with the track, are shaped to form crotch shaped cable guides 13b and a vpair of `endless cables 14 encircle the endless carrier, $5

one cable lying in the cable guide 13b of the right side of the ride and the other cable lying in the guide 13b of the left side ofthe ride. Said endless cables 14 pass over power pulleys P fixed to a suitable shaft which` is ftion 25 of the cars.

connected with a source of power. One of the leaves of each cable 14 passes over an idlei sheave l5 suitably mounted on the upright frame, while the other leaf is passed over a spring actuated belt tightener spaced from idler sheave 15 a relatively short distance and illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. As shown, the belt tightener 16 comprises' a sheave pivotally mounted on a block 16u, said block having parallel and horizontally7 extending rods 17 secured to one end thereof, which rods are slidable in spaced guides 18 secured to a cross piece on the frame of the rod. The opposite end of the block 16a is connected with a contractile spring 19, the opposite end of said spring being adjustably connected by means of an eye bolt 2O to a suitable bracket 21 rigidly mounted on said cross piece of said rame.

Each section of my endless conveyor defined by a pair of the shafts 10 and the appropriate links 12 connecting the ends thereof, rigidly carries a pair of outwardly projecting arms A. Said arms each comprise a pair of links or bars 22 having their outer ends overlapped and secured together and having their inner ends spaced apart and secured to the two shafts of said conveyor section. The two arms A of each conveyor section are spaced apart a suiicient distance to Y permit a passenger car C to be pivotally mountedy on a horizontal aXis between the outer ends thereof, and as shown, passenger cars C are provided with outwardly-extending horizontal trunnions 24 which pass through the overlapped extremities ofthe .links or bars 22 serving to secure said linkstogether as well as to pivotally secure thefcar to the: arms. Y

Each passenger car, as illustrated, includes a' horizontal seat and a foot rest 25 supported from such seat. Since the cars arel pivoted above their centers of gravity, they will be maintain-ed, due to the. action kof gravity,

throughout their travel with the seats disposed in a horizontal position.

l propose toV provide a substantially horizontall loading platform26 supported a short distance above the groundand spaced slightly below the line of travel of the foot-rest por- Centrally disposed in said' loading platform I mount a vertically movable stabilizing platform 27 adapted to engage the foot rest portion 25 of thecars to prevent the cars from swinging on their trunn-ions when it is desired to load the same. Stabilizin-g platform 27 is normallyV sunported on suitable cross pieces 26a of the loading platform, but it is also connected, by means of suitable short arms 28, with a pair of rock shafts 29, said rock shafts as shown being journaled transversely beneath the loading platform. Rock shafts 29-may `be rigidly connected with short depending levers 30 which may be connected at each side o-f stamay bilizing platform 27 with elongated operating rods 31, the forward ends of said rods projecting beyond the loading platform and being connected to a suitable shift lever 32 for operating the stabilizer. In F ig. l the dotted lines indicate the raised position of the stabilizing platform 27 showing the manner in which said stabilizer engages the bottom portions of the foot rests 25 of the cars maintaining the cars stationary for loading.

In Fig. 6 a slightly modiiied track or course is illustrated which may be substituted for the track shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The track shown in Fig. 6 comprises a horizontal lower in designing` the track, as well as those illustrated in this application.

Operation VThe operation of my improved amusement device may be briefly described as follows The endless carrier comprising the spaced shafts 10,"the spacing'links 12, and theV wheels 1l travels aroundthe endless tracks 7 at a uniform speed carrying with it the arms A. The arms are rigidlyconnected to the respective carrier sections as will be clearly seen from Figs.1,"2 and 3 of the drawing, and the joined outer ends of the links 22 constituting the armslalways maintain a constant position with respect tothe ends of the links and `the carrier sections tov which'they are secured. The triangular arrangement of the linksl and arms furnish a strong support for the passenger' cars. Ast-he arms A move through their endless course they will pass along the straight stretches of the track ata constant rate of speed, but as they pass over the curved or arcuate portions of the trackthey will obviously vcause the speed of the passenger cars to be accelerated.V The sensation produced upon the riders is thrilli' Ving due to the-acceleration of the Aspeed on the arcuate or curved drop or rise as the case be. The drop may be accentuated by drivin," the endless carrierin such a direction that the passengers are facing oppositely to the direction of travel.

Since 'the track is provided with a lower 'substantially straight'Y horizontal section, a

plurality of the arms and passenger. cars will be suspended at the same level adjacent to the ground andconsequently several of said cars may be simultaneously loaded when the device is at resti Gravity will ofcourse maintain the seats of the several passenger cars` in a horizontal position throughout the iso travel of the course since the cars are pivoted to the outer ends of the arms by means of horizontal trunnions 24 positioned above the centers of gravity of said cars and at approximately the centers of gravity of passengers riding in said cars.

In loading the cars it is desirable to maintain the same against swinging and to this end it is only necessary to operate lever 32, causing the rock shafts 29 to elevate the stabilizing platform 27 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. The foot rests of the several cars are then engaged by said stabilizing platform and the cars may be safely loaded.

It will be seen that the spaced transverse shafts l() of the endless conveyor constitute axles for the wheels, connect the laterally projecting links 22 to form the rigidly connected arms and conveniently secure the blocks 13 with which the links 12 of the endless conveyor are connected, and which blocks also constitute the cable guides or clutches in which the endless drive cable is seated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have invented a comparatively simple amusement ride adapted to furnish passengers with unexpected thrills and to rapidly elevate said passengers and drop the same while passing through an arcuate line of travel.

The construction of the ride throughout is rugged and safe and will withstand hard continuous usage.

It will be seen that tracks of various shapes may be designed within the scope of my invention. I prefer to have the lower stretch of the track horizontal and substantially parallel to the loading platform in order that several cars may be simultaneously loaded.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details proposed and arrangements of parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. An amusement device comprising an endless course having a relatively sharp curve therein and lying in a substantially vertical plane, an arm projecting laterally and outwardly from said course in substantially the plane thereof, a passenger car pivoted to the outer portion of said arm on a substantially horizontal axis and means for moving said arm about said course whereby the speed of said car will be accelerated as said arm is moved about said curve in said course.

2. An amusement device comprising an endless track disposed in a substantially vertical plane, a plurality of trucks in said track coupled together to form an endless train, an arm extending laterally and outwardly from each of said trucks and passenger cars pivotally secured on horizontal axes to the outer portions of said arms.

3. An amusement device comprising an endless carrier element having a substantially straight portion and at least two curved portions, an arm extending laterally and outwardly from said carrier element and conzo nected at the inner end thereto, a passenger car pivoted on a substantially horizontal axisv to the outer end of said arm, the speed of said passenger car being accelerated as said arm passes around said curved portions.

4. An amusement device comprising inner and outer concentric tracks disposed in a sub- -stantially vertical plane, a series of trucks between said tracks coupled together to form an endless train, arms carried by said trucks 30 and extending outwardly and laterally of said tracks, and passenger cars pivotally secured to the outer ends of said arms on substantially horizontal axes.

5. An amusement device comprising an endless elevated course lying substantially in a vertical plane, said course having an elongated substantially horizontal lower stretch and curved end stretches, a series of arms projecting laterally and outwardly from said 90 course, passenger Vcars pivotally connected to the outer ends of saidarms on substantially horizontal axes, means for moving said arms about said course, the length of said arms being substantially equal to the elevation of said lower stretch of track, whereby a plurality of passenger cars may be loaded simultaneously.

6. An amusement device having an endless elevated carrier element, said element ly-. ing-in a. substantially verticalplane, and compri sing a plurality of coupled sections, an arm rigidly connected to each of said sections and projecting laterally and outwardly therefrom and a passenger car pivotally secured on a 105 substantially horizontal axis to the outer end of each of said arms.

7. An amusement device comprising a pair of parallel endless tracks each disposed in substantially a vertical plane, a seriesl 0f .110 trucks coupled together to form an endless train and having wheels disposed in said tracks, eac-h of said trucks carrying a pair of spaced arms, said arms projecting outwardly and laterally from said trucks and a passenger L car pivotally mounted on a substantially horizontal axis between the outer ends of each pair of arms.

8. An amusement device comprising any zo elevated endless course, a series of arms ex-t41 tending laterally and outwardly from said course, means for moving said arms about said course, passenger cars pivotally secured on horizontal axes to the outer portions of saidxV- arms, a stabilizing element disposed beneath said course and normally spaced slightly from the orbit of said passenger cars and means for elevating said stabilizing element to bring it into engagement with at least one of saidrl passenger ears whereby swing of said car on its pivot `will be checked.

9. An amusement device comprising an endless elevated course disposed substantially in a vertical plane, said course having a lower substantially horizontal. stretch, a series of arms extending laterally and outwardly from said course, a series of passenger cars pivotally connected to the outer ends of said arms on substantially horizontal axes, means for moving said arms about said course, an elongated stabilizing element disposed beneath said course and substantially parallel with said lower horizontal stretch and means for moving said stabilizing element into engagement with a plurality of said passenger cars suspended below said horizontal stretch, whereby said engaged cars will be prevented from swinging on their pivots and may be simultaneously loaded.

10. An amusement device comprising an endless elevated course disposed in a substantially vertical plane, having a horizontal lower stretch, an elongated upper stretch and a pair of arcuate end stretches connecting said upper stretch with said lower stretch, a series of arms extending laterally and outwardly from said course, cars pivoted on horizontal axes to the outer ends of said arms and means for moving said arms about said course whereby the speed of said passenger cars will be accelerated and said cars will rise or fall when said arms are moved about said arcuate stretches.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HERBERT W. SELLNER. 

